2 Chronicles 10

¹Rehoboʹam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ²And when Jeroboʹam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was in Egypt, whither he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboʹam returned from Egypt. ³And they sent and called him; and Jeroboʹam and all Israel came and said to Rehoboʹam, ⁴“Your father made our yoke heavy. Now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke upon us, and we will serve you.” ⁵He said to them, “Come to me again in three days.” So the people went away.

⁶Then King Rehoboʹam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, “How do you advise me to answer this people?” ⁷And they said to him, “If you will be kind to this people and please them, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants for ever.” ⁸But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him. ⁹And he said to them, “What do you advise that we answer this people who have said to me, ‘Lighten the yoke that your father put upon us’?” ¹⁰And the young men who had grown up with him said to him, “Thus shall you speak to the people who said to you, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, but do you lighten it for us’; thus shall you say to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins. ¹¹And now, whereas my father laid upon you a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.’ ”

¹²So Jeroboʹam and all the people came to Rehoboʹam the third day, as the king said, “Come to me again the third day.” ¹³And the king answered them harshly, and forsaking the counsel of the old men, ¹⁴King Rehoboʹam spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to it; my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” ¹⁵So the king did not hearken to the people; for it was a turn of affairs brought about by God that the Lord might fulfil his word, which he spoke by Ahiʹjah the Shiʹlonite to Jeroboʹam the son of Nebat.

¹⁶And when all Israel saw that the king did not hearken to them, the people answered the king,

“What portion have we in David?

We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse.

Each of you to your tents, O Israel!

Look now to your own house, David.”

So all Israel departed to their tents. ¹⁷But Rehoboʹam reigned over the people of Israel who dwelt in the cities of Judah. ¹⁸Then King Rehoboʹam sent Hadorʹam, who was taskmaster over the forced labor, and the people of Israel stoned him to death with stones. And King Rehoboʹam made haste to mount his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.